Journal box



Dec. 11, 1934.

G. A. WOOD'MAN JOURNAL BOX Filed Jan.

Patented Dec. 11, 1934 U N I T'ED STAT E S PATENT OFFKQE Applicationlanuary 13, 1932, Serial No.

.5 Claims.

This invention relates to journal boxes and more particularly to hinged lids therefor.

The primary object of my invention is to providea journalbox lid which may be easily in- 'stalled in position by an ordinary mechanic without the: use of special tools.

A strong spring is customarily provided to hold the'journal box lid in closing position and during-uthe installation of the lid a clamp is "used-to render "thespring inoperative to enable installation of the pintle. After the pintle is in position this clamp is released whereupon the spring-becomes operative. The spring is customarily' arranged. in position at the time the lid-is tobe installed and even when a clamp is available, whichis not always true, it is quite difficult to effect installation because of the spring. It is therefore another object of my invention to so arrange the spring for a journal box lid that the lid may be'expeditiously installed whilethe spring is held in a position whereat it does notinterfere with installation and to permit releasing. of the spring from said position so that the, spring will be rendered operative after installation of the lid has been effected.

A further-object of the invention is to provide a journalbox lid which will effectively close the opening into the journal box and which will be free-of objectionable openings through which dirt may pass into the journal box.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a pintle for'journal box covers which maybe installed in position in a simple and uexpleditious manner without the use of any special 00 s..

Selected embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawing and therein Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a journal box "lid embodying my invention and in which some parts are broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line'2--2 on Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary View, similar to Fig. 1,- illustrating a modified form of construction;

Fig. ,4- is a vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line itl on Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of my improved pintle.

In the drawing 6 indicates a standard A. R. A. journal box on which the lid '7 is swingingly mounted bya pintle 8. The lid includes spaced bearings 9, 9 and an upwardly projecting boss 10 is provided on the box 6 and is disposed intermediateof the bearings 9, 9 when the lid is in proper position. In the rear face of the boss 10 is a substantially semi-circular groove 11. At one end of the pintle 8 is an enlarged head 12 and at the opposite end thereof is a slot 13,

enlarged at 14 inwardly of the outer end, and

an integral rib 15 extends across the slot 13 at the end of the pintle. The pintle is passed through one of the bearings 9 on the lid and through the semi-circular groove 11 and then through the other bearing 9. The medial portions of the bearings are enlarged medially thereof as at 16. A suitable backing up member is engaged with the head 12 and by striking the opposite end of the pintle with a hammer or other pounding instrument, the portion of the pintle adjacent the enlargement 14 of the slot 13, whereat the pintle is weakest, is sprung outwardly into the enlarged portion 16 and the pintle is held against endwise movement. The rib l5 prevents closing of the slot 13 and insures expansion of the pintle adjacent the enlargement 14. The pintle may be expeditiously removed by driving it toward the head 12 whereby the portions adjacent the enlargement 14 are forced back into original position to permit withdrawal of the pintle. The foregoing arrangement is common to the lids shown in Figs. 1 and 3.

The lid shown in Figs. 1 and-2, however, is constructed differently from that shown in Figs. 3 and 4 and this resides in the provision of a flat plate 17 on the lid '7, and this flat plate rests against the flanges about the opening into the journal box 6. On the outer face of the plate 17 is a housing 18 andthe spring 19 is mounted in this housing. The spring 19 is preferably formed from a continuous piece of metal and embodies two coil portions 20 and 21 intermediate of which there is a substantially U-shaped loop 22 and the free ends 23 and 24 of the spring are arranged at the outer ends of the coil portions 20 and 21 and are extended into pockets 25 and 26 in the outer face of the plate 17. A wear plate 27 is provided on the inwardly disposed face of the loop 22 and includes a lip 28 which is bent about the bight of the loop and lips 29 and 30 which embrace the stems of the loop and these lips serve to effectively retain the wear plate 27 in position. Formed unitary with the vertical wall of the housing 18 is an inwardly projecting lug 31 having a shoulder 32 at the inner end thereof. In installation the spring is inserted into the housing 18 and the end portions 23 and 2a are arranged in the pockets 25 and 26. The loop 22 is then drawn toward the front of the housing 18 and the shoulder is engaged with the wear plate 2'? to hold the spring in this forward position, which is illustrated in full lines in Fig. When the loop 22. is in this position, the spring 19 will be inactive and therefore the pintle 8 may be installed easily. After the pintle has been installed in the manner previously described, a suitable instru ment is passed through the opening 33 in the front wall of the housing 13 and the lug 31 is bent downwardly to disengage the shoulder 32 from the wear plate 27 whereupon the wear plate 27 will spring into engagement with the face of the boss 10 and it will therefore act to urge the plate 17 into closing position over the opening into the box 6. The arrangement shown in Fig. 2 effectively prevents passage of dirt into the journal box 6 since there are no openings in the portion of the plate closing the journal box and furthermore the housing 18 is closed on all sides save the lower side and the restricted opening in the front wall thereof. Furthermore, this arrangement permits the spring to be installed in position at the time the lid is made and no clamps or other devices need be employed during the installation of the lid for a cold chisel or similar device may be used to spring the lug 31 from retaining position whereupon the loop 22 will spring into operative position.

The lid 34 illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 is mounted in position on the journal box 6 in the same manner as that in which the lid 7 is mounted thereon. In this instance, however, a pocket 35 is formed in the face of the lid 34 and this pocket includes an apron 36 which projects well over the boss 10 to thereby effectively prevent the passage of dirt into the journal box. No openings are provided in the pocket 35 and the spring 3'7 is arranged in position from the inner side of the lid prior to installation thereof. The spring 37 is preferably continuous and includes coil portions 38 and 39 intermediate of which there is a loop portion 40 having a wear plate 41 secured thereto in the same manner as that in which the wear plate 27 is secured to the loop 22. The ends 42 and 43 of the spring 37 are arranged at the outer ends of the coil portions 38 and 39 and extend into pockets 44 and 45 at the lower end of the pocket or housing 35. A lug 46 has a shoulder 47 at the inner end thereof which engages the wear plate 41 to hold the loop 440 forwardly in the housing 35 as illustrated in Fig. 4. However, after the lid 34 has been mounted on the pintle 8, it is pivoted from closing position suificiently to afford access to the lug 46 and by the use of a cold chisel and hammer or other tools the lug is bent so as to retract the shoulder 47 from engagement with the wear plate whereupon the wear plate springs into engagement with the face of the boss 10 and the spring then acts to urge the lid 34 into closing position over the opening into the journal box 6. The spring 37, like the spring 19, is arranged in position at the time of manufacture of the lid and may also be installed without the use of any special clamps or other tools.

It is manifest from the foregoing description that I have provided a journal box lid which may be easily installed in position without the use of any special tools for only a hammer is required to secure the pintle in position and this hammer in connection with any other suitable device may be used to drive the lug from holding position whereupon the spring will be released and as the spring is not released until after the lid is in position, it is manifest that installation is expedited.

Selected embodiments of the invention have been shownand described but these are capable of variation and modification and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a journal box having an open side, a hingedly mounted lid for closing the open side, a coil spring for holding the lid in closing position, and including a limb portion, and means unitary with said lid and engageable with the limb portion of the spring to hold it out of operative position to facilitate mounting of the lid on the box, said means being adapted to be released from said limb portion after said lid is mounted in position.

2. In a journal box having an open side, a lid for closing the open side, means hingedly mounting the lid on the box, said lid having spring receiving portions, a coil spring mounted in said spring receiving portions and including a limb portion engageable with the box, and means unitary with said lid and engageable with said spring for fastening said spring in said lid and for holding the limb portion of said spring inoperative during the handling and during the mounting of said lid on said box.

3. A journal box including an open side, a lid for closing said open side, means hingedly mounting the lid on the box, a coil spring mounted'in said lid and including a limb portion adapted to engage with said box to hold said lid in closing position, means unitary with said lid for holding said limb portion in a retracted position and adapted to be released after the mounting of said lid whereupon said limb portion moves into cooperation with said box. 7

4. In a journal box having an open side, a lid including a plate adapted to close said open side, means hingedly mounting the lid on the box, a housing on the outer side of said lid and having an open bottom through which a coil spring is passed to be arranged in said housing, said spring including end portions engaged with said lid, said spring having intermediate portion adapted to cooperate wth said box whereby said spring holds said plate in closing position, and a lug unitary with said lid and engageable with the intermediate portion of said spring to hold said portion in a retracted position, said housing having an opening therein through which means may be extended to force said lug from engagement with said portion to permit said portion to move into engagement with said box.

5. In a journal box having an open side, a lid adapted to close said open side, means hingedly mounting the lid on the box, said lid having a pocket therein, a spring including coil portions and having a substantially U-shaped intermediate portion between the coil portions and including end portions, said spring being mounted in said pocket and having the end portions thereof engaged with said lid and having the intermediate portion thereof adaptedfor engagement with said box to urge said lid into closing position over the open side of said box, and a lug unitary with said lid and engaged with the intermediate portion of said spring to hold said spring in a retracted position during handling and during installation of the lid, said lug being forced from engagement with the intermediate portion of said spring to permit said portion to engage said box after installation of said lid on said box.

GEORGE A. WOODMAN. 

